Spherical Reference Positioning for Aircraft Fuselage Floor-Grid Assembly

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for aligning and assembling aircraft fuselage components, such as the cabin floor grid and side shells, are not sufficiently precise, leading to inefficiencies in the assembly process.

Innovation Solution

A positioning reference device with a partially spherical support and a reference pin, along with a movable rod, is used to precisely position the cabin floor grid and side shells relative to each other, utilizing a transport system with V-shaped arms, and an orthogonal reference frame for accurate alignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional positioning methods are used for aligning cabin floor grid and side shell, then the assembly process is simpler, but the positioning precision is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning precisionVSAvoidpositioning device complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a spherical surface on the positioning reference device that receives the V-shaped surface of the transport system arm. This spherical interface provides precise positioning through geometric constraint, where the curvature of the sphere ensures accurate alignment of the cabin floor grid with the fuselage body components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The positioning reference device acts as an intermediary element between the transport system and the fuselage body components. It transfers and maintains the precise spatial relationship required for assembly, mediating between the coarse positioning provided by the transport system and the fine positioning required for hole-to-hole assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If precise positioning of cabin floor grid is achieved, then assembly accuracy is improved, but the positioning device becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoidpositioning reference device complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The positioning system is segmented into distinct functional elements: the spherical surface for receiving the V-shaped arm, the reference pin for angular positioning, and the rod with grooves for linear positioning. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The positioning reference device utilizes multiple spatial dimensions for positioning: the spherical surface provides positioning in two dimensions (X and Y), the reference pin adds angular positioning (Z rotation), and the rod with grooves provides linear positioning (X translation). This multi-dimensional approach achieves comprehensive precision without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Manufacturing precision

If hole-to-hole assembly is performed with high precision, then part-to-part assembly quality is improved, but the assembly time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehole alignment precisionVSAvoidassembly speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The positioning reference device is set up in advance on the assembly platform before the actual hole-to-hole assembly begins. The spherical surface and reference pin are pre-positioned to establish the correct spatial relationship between the cabin floor grid and fuselage body, enabling rapid and accurate assembly operations to proceed thereafter.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4311780B1Positioning reference device intended to position at least one cabin floor grid and a side shell of an aircraft in relation to one another for assembling a fuselage body of the aircraft
Publication Date: 2025.09.03 AIRBUS OPERATIONS (SAS)
  • EP4311780B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4311780B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4311780B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

- A positioning reference device for positioning at least one cabin floor grid and one side panel of an aircraft relative to each other for the purpose of assembling an aircraft fuselage section. - The positioning reference device (1) comprises at least one mounting bracket (9) for attaching the positioning reference device (1) to the top of an alignment mast (10) of an assembly platform (11) and a partially spherical support (12) having a spherical surface (S) for receiving the V-shaped surface (8) of one end (7) of an arm (6) of a cabin floor grid transport system (5) of an aircraft. The positioning reference device enables the cabin floor grid to be positioned precisely on the assembly platform relative to the other fuselage sections.